We, the Sisters of St. Benedict of Ferdinand, Indiana, are monastic women seeking God through the Benedictine tradition of community life, prayer, hospitality, and service to others. By our life and work, we commit ourselves to be a presence of peace as we join our sisters and brothers in the common search for God.

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Reflection: John 2:1-11

Christmas Weekday - John 2:1-11

Today’s Gospel is a very familiar
one: the wedding at Cana. Mary, Jesus, and the disciples had been
invited to a wedding. After a time, Mary noticed that the supply of wine
was running out. Mary went to Jesus and said to him, “They have no wine.”
Jesus replied to her comment in a harsh way. He said, “Woman, how
does this concern me?” He then added, “My hour has not yet come.”

Mary went to the servers and told
them, “Do whatever he tells you.” There were six very large stone water
jars. They were used for Jewish ceremonial washings. Each jar held
20-30 gallons of water. Jesus told the waiters, “Fill the jars full of
water.” The waiters filled the jars to the brim. Then Jesus told
the waiters to draw some of the water out and take it to the headwaiter.
They did so. When the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine
(not realizing that there had been only water in the jars), the head waiter
went to the bridegroom and praised him for serving the “good” wine so late in
the day. Typically, hosts would serve the “good wine” at the beginning of
the celebration. However, later in the day, many hosts would serve
inferior wine since many of the guests had imbibed a great deal of wine.
Most likely the guests would not notice the difference in the quality of the
wine.

This sign was the beginning of many
signs Jesus would perform during his ministry. These signs revealed
Jesus’ concern and care for the lowly. The signs also clearly spoke of
his power and glory. Thus, the depth of the belief the disciples had in
Jesus deepened.

Have you ever received a sign that
Jesus was with you? Do you look for signs that Jesus is present to
you? It may be as simple as getting an unexpected phone call or an email
from an old friend. Perhaps it is having some alone time when you can
relax, listen to music, read a novel, or take some quiet time with God.

The reality is that Jesus is always
with us. Most often, we are the ones who are not present to Jesus.
Today, be attentive to signs you receive that may indicate that Jesus is with
you. If this happens, just relax and enjoy his presence.